Fastener for shoes



.(No Model.) I I. J. SAUNDERS.

FASTENER FOR SHOES, &c. I

No. 244,675. Patented July 19,1881.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

IRA-J. SAUNDERS, or UNION CITY, MICHIGAN.

FASTENER FOR SHOES, a...

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 244,675, dated July 19, 1881,

Application filed December 4, 1880. (No model.) I v To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, IRA J. SAUNDERS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Union City, inthe county of Branch and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fasteners for Shoes; and

I do hereby declare the following to be afull,

clear,-and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference beiughad to the accompanying drawin gs, and to letters or figures of reference marked thereon, which form apart of this specificatiom Myinvention relates to improvements in devices for fastening shoes, gaiters, and other articles of wearing-apparel, it being designed as an improvement upon a form er patent, granted to me on the 28th of January,18,79, No. 211,794, for similar purposes.

The object of my present improvement is the production of a fastener having a single springing stud or projection, having its outer end made somewhat larger than its body, for the purpose of preventing the separation of the parts when in use. Iattain this object by the device shown in the accompanying drawings,

in which- I Figure 1 is a perspective view of two pieces of material fastened together by my improved spring-fastener. Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation of two pieces of material, an eyelet in the outer piece, and one spring-fastener; and Fig. 3 is a view of one of the fasteners.

Similar letters refer to'similar parts throughout the several views.

I am aware that it is not novel to use a sprin gstud and an eyelet forffastening shoes, such a device being shown in the patent above referred to; but my improved fastener differs from that in that it consists of asingle stud having the portion upon which the eyelet rests, when the shoe or other garment is fastened, somewhat smaller than its outer end is, the purpose being to prevent the eyelet from slip- ,ping from the stud when the parts are united,

thus providing a remedy foran objection used against the device in my former patent.

In constructing the spring stud or pin according to my improved plan I form it as shown at A in Figs. 2 and 3-that is to say, from pieces of steel or other suitable metal, with its ends being flattened before bending it to form the spring, for the purpose of allowing them to be bent outward, after it has been inserted in'the shoe or other garment. The metal is then bent into form, and so as to leave its upper'or outer end somewhat larger than the portion which intervenes between it and itsinner bent ends, in order that when the eyelet or hole formed in the material is passed over its outer end it shall rest upon the smaller or reduced portion, and thus be prevented from slipping off when in use, while at the same time the stud acts as a spring, and thus relieves the material of which the shoe or other garment is made of much of the strain that would otherwise be upon it.

In applying this fastener to garments the flattened ends are first inserted in one flap or portion of such garment, when they are bent over and upon such portion, as shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings, the portion which is to be fastened to the one already referred to is provided with an eyelet of any suitable construction, or it may be with an aperture formed in the material and used without the eyelet. 'When the parts are to be united the particular parts having in'them the apertures or eye lets are brought directly over the outer ends of the studs or fasteners and pressed upon them, the holes in the eyelets or the apertures being just large enough to admit of their being forced over said outer ends, when, owing to the fact that the fastener is of less width or dimensions between the outer end and the part where it is secured to a portion of the garment, it will be held, and all liability to slip will be avoided.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 1s

The herein-described fastener for shoes and other garments, it consisting-ofa springing stud or pin made of a single piece of metal bent into-the form described, whereby it is made of greater width or diameter at its outer or closed end than it is at the point where the eyelet or aperture in the garment rests upon it, it being open at its inner end for the purpose of causing it to spring or yield at the point where it is attached to the garment, and

thus relieve the strain upon such garment, sub stantially as set forth. 1

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

' IRA J. SAUNDERS. Witnesses:

SAML. T. DoUGLAs, HENRY PITMAN, 

